Distillation or fractional distillation is carried out by heating a solid or liquid and removing gaseous vapors that are expelled therefrom. This can be done while raising the temperature, as each compound boils at a different temperature. Distribution adapters, also referred to as “cows” due to their appearance which is similar to a cow udder, typically have a centered female joint. The discharge ports (“udders”) are either “pushed out” or are pointing downward with three or four typical discharge ports. These other ports offer a traveling pathway for a vacuum (typically used in the distribution adapter) to cause unintentional evaporation of compounds that have a lower boiling point or resilience against a vacuum. This causes partial contamination and depletion of a vacuum.
Further, when distilling multiple fractions (a fraction having a distinct boiling point or range of boiling points within a tolerance level of the distinct boiling point), one typically turns a prior art cow so that the next fraction extends into the next discharge port, which now becomes the lowest port (“lowest” meaning “closest to the surface of the Earth” or “closest to a vector direction in which gravity is pulling”). Those fractions with more energy (e.g. higher boiling point) are distilled later, in a subsequent port, compared to those with less energy. The problem with this method is that the smell of one fraction and it's vapors which have not fully condensed end up in the next fraction, contaminating this next fraction in any or multiple of smell, taste, color, and product.
A general problem with all distribution collection adapters is that even when three ports which are present to receive distillate product evacuated from a distillation head, any condensation or discharge from collected volatile vapors drip as a solid phase solution along the side of the collection assembly itself, and directly drip back into the collection flask. This is the traditional method that has become a customary problem with glassware. As a result, the distillate product becomes contaminated or is less pure than the ideal. Even when using one port, as in U.S. Pat. No. 9,895,627 issued to the same inventor, one must change the distribution head or cow with each fraction which, while a large improvement over the three or four port cow, still leaves room for further improvement.
What is needed in the art is a way to distill or fractionally distill contents in a more pure manner, which means finding a way to increase isolation of distillate fractions to be collected.